Travis Scott Shares How Houston Artists From Pimp C to Mike Jones Pushed Him To Make Astroworld

Travis Scott had one of the most explosive, electric, and entertaining performances at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards. The “Sicko Mode” rapper brought his vision of Astroworld to Radio City Music Hall with a rollercoaster car, a giant golden inflatable head, and pyrotechnics. Before the ceremony, Scott briefly discussed how Houston hip-hop influenced the ultimate goal of Astroworld.

“That’s like one of the most major points I wanted to do for the album was just, like, bring that sound to Houston and make it go worldwide,” Scott said. “Everybody from Houston, from Paul Wall to Mike Jones to Lil Flip to Lil Keke to E.S.G. to the whole S.U.C., all these people. Bun B, Pimp C — all these people created a culture and a sound for Houston and made it worldwide. I just want to continue what they started, you know? Make sure people don’t ever forget the name Houston.”

Another significant aspect of Travis Scott’s third studio album is the real-world theme park — Six Flags AstroWorld – that influenced the project’s aesthetic. The park opened on June 1, 1968, and is fondly remembered by generations of Houstonians. Unfortunately, it was closed down on October 30, 2005. In a Houston Chronicle article from that period, Jim Dannhauser, the chief financial officer of Oklahoma City-based Six Flags, succinctly described the reasoning behind the park’s closing: “While attendance has gone down, the value of the land has gone up substantially.”

AstroWorld’s demise didn’t hit Travis until he was older and realized he could no longer go back.

“At first it didn’t really set in stone what they was actually doing to the city until I was older,” he shared. “I was like, ‘Woah, we actually don’t have this place,’ when I wanted to go back when I was like 18 or something. It’s like, wow we don’t have it. That’s when it hit me. “